What do you get when you run over five miles of structured Cat 6 and duplex fiber cabling throughout a 4,600-square-foot space? For the owners of this new smart home in the suburbs of Memphis, the answer is the foundation for a technological showcase, designed and installed by local CE pro Miestro Home Integration.

AV, controls and environmental systems outfitted by Miestro Home Integration include Control4 automation; nine-zone Triad Speakers audio system; security system with audible notifications for tripped sensors; room-to-room intercom functionality; and the main attraction — seven zones of distributed video covering a variety of display types.

The master bedroom and kitchen are equipped with Samsung Frame TVs, while an ultra-short throw projector holds court in the media room and Sony 4K displays are in the game and guest rooms. In the master bathroom, a 27-inch weatherproof Séura TV is inset into the shower tile, while homeowners and guests can enjoy the outdoors with an 86-inch waterproof Séura TV on the covered patio. Video sources include two AT&T U-verse set-top boxes; a Kaleidescape movie server; Apple TV; and a Blackdove Digital Canvas.

Indeed, the smart home made a splash at the Memphis Vesta Home Show, where it garnered a Best Entertainment / Media Room Award. It was also a finalist for the Consumer Technology Association (CTA) Smart Home Division Mark of Excellence Award for Custom Home of the Year.

Just Add Power Fuels Miestro Home Integration Tech-Filled Project

To enjoy the home’s video capabilities while maintaining the space’s clean, modern design, the owners needed the ability to easily play any video source on any display – with the sources hidden away in a centralized rack.

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Miestro Home Integration turned to Just Add Power’s 3G Ultra HD over IP system to deliver a reliable and cost-effective video distribution solution. It also addressed the need to provide fast switching speeds and simple scalability to accommodate additional displays, sources or video formats the owners might want in the future.

“In the past, we would recommend traditional chassis-based matrix systems for video distribution in our clients’ homes, but these came with a number of limitations,” says Lamar Gibson, president of Miestro Home Integration.

“One of the main drawbacks was their fixed size. If a client needed to add more displays or sources to a maxed-out matrix, they would have to upgrade that hardware as well — to the tune of tens of thousands of dollars.

With Just Add Power’s 3G Ultra HD over IP backbone, Miestro can easily and cost-effectively upgrade individual nodes on the system, Gibson says.

“So if they get a new 8K television or streaming player, all we need to do to bring it into the fold is add a transmitter or receiver. That’s it; no major new hardware required,” he says, calling the Just Add Power platform “the perfect solution for even the largest of projects.”

Simple Controls & Switching for All AV Needs

The Memphis smart home’s video distribution system offers ultra-low 16 ms of latency from source to screen and supports 4K Ultra HD resolutions and HDMI 2.0 devices with HDCP 2.2. The platform enables seamless switching between any resolution HDMI source as well as uncompressed lossless multichannel audio formats, including Dolby Atmos support, Gibson explains.

Plus, video wall functionality is built-in for displays installed in portrait and flipped configurations, as well as image push, pull, and pop features. An integrated scaler on the receiver automatically adjusts the picture to fit the screen.

Each video source is equipped with Just Add Power’s VBS-HDIP-718AVP 3G+ A/V Pro transmitter, while VBS-HDIP-508 PoE receivers are attached to its displays. Expanding the system is as simple as adding another receiver or transmitter, Gibson notes.

A Luxul stackable network switch supports the Ultra HD over IP setup, and the homeowners and guests can easily control each display individually to change content using Control4 handheld remotes or touchscreens.

Pleasing Smart Home Process for Trade Partners Too

“The owners have been very pleased with their new home and the convenience and reliability of their Just Add Power video distribution system,” Gibson reports. “They moved in at the end of last year and it has performed flawlessly.”

Furthermore, he says, the system’s scalability has already come into play. Originally, the project didn’t call for a kitchen TV, but one was a snap to add, Gibson notes

And the owners aren’t the only ones impressed with the high-tech home. Miestro’s design and installation won over a tough crowd when it comes to home technology: the project’s interior designer and builder.

Gibson says the centralized and concealed technology capabilities afforded by the Just Add Power topology in particular helped overcome common aesthetic concerns of smart home installation.

Miestro’s partners on this project — Lindsey Black Interiors and Sammy Stover and Jarrod Wilder of The Longtown Company — have found that incorporating technology for their clients does not have to mean sacrificing the home’s design elements, Gibson reports.

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